MORNING REPORT by Sue Brown

Publisher: Dreamspinner Press
Date published: January 7th, 2011
ISBN: 978-1-61581-677-4 (Print)
ISBN: 978-1-61581-678-1 (E-book)
Contemporary/Western/Cowboys M/M
E-book and PrintReviewed by Dawn
Obtained by self-purchase


For the last ten years, Luke Murray has found pure happiness in his life. He loves being a cowboy, running his family’s ranch with his partner of ten years, Simon and is blessed to be loved in return by his soul mate. Living in the Bible belt as a gay man has been hard. Keeping their heads down, Luke and Simon have kept quiet on their relationship and all was well. That is until a new preacher came to town and started a campaign to drive Simon and Luke away. Suddenly they find themselves pariahs and find out who their real friends are. Can Luke and Simon find a way to have their life back or will the town drive them away from all they love?

I have got to admit, Sue Brown’s MORNING REPORT is one emotional roller coaster. You run the gamut of emotions when you read it. You laugh, cry, sigh and cheer as you read the tale of two people experiencing such stress in their lives and finding out who their true friends are. It’s an engrossing tale that left me with a desire to find out more when that last page is read. I do have to mention there are some scenes that may not appeal to you in the story. The relationship between Luke and Simon was full of give and take which I enjoyed. These were two people who knew their respective partner inside and out and you could literally feel the connection between them. For the first time, their relationship is tested. Can they survive the stress and strain to make them stronger as a couple or will it destroy them both? That is the ultimate question when you read MORNING REPORT.

Meet Simon and Luke. They met when they were roommates in college and from there they forged an unbreakable bond as friends as well as lovers. These are the most well defined characters I have ever read. They fairly step off the pages and you feel like you could be friends with them in real life. I loved that about Ms. Brown’s characters in MORNING REPORT. The secondary characters were just as delightful and there were a few humorous moments to ease the tension sprinkled within the storyline. The writing was tight, the story flowed nicely and the characters were so wonderful, I was wishing I could take them home with me in real life.

Ms. Brown’s MORNING REPORT is a well told story that highlights the discrimination gays still receive in today’s world. This was a tough topic to incorporate and Ms. Brown does a bang up job in creating a story that touches on it. Some do a great job in dealing with it, others don’t. Ms. Brown creates a story that will leave you breathless from the first page as Luke & Simon find they can either stand up for their relationship or walk away from all they have. I fell in love with MORNING REPORT and am anxious to see if this author returns to the Lost Cow ranch and to Simon, Luke plus all their friends & family. I highly recommend this latest release if you enjoy a complex and multi-dimensional characters, a moving storyline and sizzling hot sex scenes.

This is an objective review and not an endorsement of this book.